AMANDA LEE KURTYAN 



ME! my brag page 

I'm Amanda Lee Kurtyan. I'm thirteen years old and I live in Edison, New 
Jersey. I am a very kind and loving person once you get to know me. Everyone 
loves me and thinks I'm amazing, but I wouldn't blame them, I am. I have many 
talents. I might sometimes act like i don't care about somethings, but usually its all 
I ever think about. I'm the kind of person that can stay true and real. I don't need 
to lie or do anything else for people to like me. I'm just me. I'm giving and very 
helpful to a lot people. I don't ignore people or hate them for no reason. I may not 
talk to them, but why not be nice, they never did anything to me. I can be mean 
sometimes, but I'm only mean it in a playful way. Most likely I only do this to close 
friends who understand me. I'm really wild and just a good time. I'm always 
smiling and in a happy mood. Life goes by to fast. Why waste it being sad, when 
you can cherish it being happy. I'm funny and wild, but I don't care because that's 
what make me, me. I love all of my friends and especially my best friends. They 
mean the world to me and most of them are like family. 

Moving 

I recently moved to Edison, New Jersey. I was born here, but moved to 
California when i was 1. California was amazing! The weather was always nice and 
there were lots of places to go. I lived near Los Angeles. I saw some famous people 
too. I grew up and spent my life in California. That's why it was hard for me to 
leave all of that and move here. 

I feel that i have moved on and I'm doing well. However, there is one person 
I cant do the same to, my best friend Erica. I have known her for the longest time. 
We were at each others houses almost everyday. We thought we would never be 
separated and we would always be together. Even though we are so many miles 
apart, distance means nothing to us. We still talk and video chat everyday. I also 
visit her. She will always be considered my best friend, even though I have some 
here. 

I moved here because of my dads job. He got a job here and its doing really 
good. Now, our house really looks like a home, not just boxes everywhere. 

On my first day of school here i was kind of scared, yet excited. A lot of 
people were really nice and came up to me. I was considered the new girl from 
Cali. After the first week, that wore off and I was just like anyone else. 

Now, I have so many friends and I love it here. My brother and I do sports 
here as well. He does football and i do rhythmic gymnastics. Its been amazing 
here. I hope to stay here for a long time. 

Jade 

Jade is my best friend. We hang out all the time. I dont know what I would 
do without her. She makes life a whole new meaning. She is my life. Even though 
we have been through so much, I can never stay mad at her. We cant go a day 


without talking. Jade and i have a connection that no one will ever get. Shes the 
kind of person I will know for a long time. She will be in my wedding and any other 
special occasions. I'm lucky to have a friend like her. We both stick up for each 
other and trust each other. We have so many insiders and nicknames for each 
other. I never get tired of her. Shes like a big ball of fun. I lover her so much. 

When I Was 3 

Being 3 was my most excited years. So many things went on such as me 
breaking my arm, getting run over by a llama, and going to six flags for my first 
time. 

My brother broke my arm. We were playing leggos and we both were 
fighting over the same piece. We kept tugging back and forth, until he pulled my 
arm out of its socket. I started to scream and burst in tears. I was rushed to the 
hospital so it could get fixed. my brother and i now laugh about it, and he still 
makes fun of me. 

Next, I got run over by a llama! I was in a petting zoo for my first time. I 
was really excited and kept running around. I pet all of the animals , except the 
llamas. I was scared of them. Then, out of no where one ran me over! I screamed 
and cried for a long time. This is a funny story i tell a lot of my friends. 

Finally, I went to six flags for my first time! I was so excited! i went to all 
different shows and went on all the little rides. I used to be afraid, but now i feel I 
can go on anything! 

I loved being three, and it has experiences that i tell to my friends. 

Six Flags 

Jade, the sweet funny cheerleader, was terrified to go to the horrifying fright 
fest. Her bubbly personality did not like anything scary. She hated being surprised 
by sneaking creepy monsters. However, Jade being the great friend she is, went 
with me. 

We went to the park early on a sunny Sunday morning. We spent the whole 
day in long, never-lasting lines. We went on almost every ride. El Torro was my 
favorite. 

After a long fun day, finally, fright night has started. We were terrified, yet 
excited at the same time. Jade and I were running all around the park to get away 
from all the scary creatures that surrounded us. We went in all different mazes 
and had a great time. After a while, we werent as scared. However, we still got 
surprised and chased by the different people. 

There were three sections of scare zones. First, the arcade area had all 
different kinds of creepy silly clowns. Next, in the front of the park, there were 
deadly zombies walking around. Finally, in the back of the park there were random 
terrifying monsters. 

We went in three mazes. The first maze wasnt that scary, but we got chased 
by a girl with a chainsaw! i had nightmares about that for a while. The second maze 


was a lot scarier. People popped out for nowhere! A lot of people scared us in this 
one because they knew we looked scared. They even had a mini cornfield! As soon 
as it finished I ran away screaming! We both were happy and don't regret this 
exciting time. 

Washington DC 

A couple of years ago I had one of the most exciting times of my life, I went 
to Washington DC. I went here for a rhythmic gymnastics competition. I went with 
my family and coach and had a great time, even though we went through the 
struggles of the icy cold weather. 

I went in February and i was 10 years old. I stayed at the double tree hotel 
for one week. I had two long days to settle in before my competition. On the day of 
my competition I had to wake up really early, 6:00 a.m! It took me two full hours 
to get ready. Finally, we were on our way. I was a little nervous, but excited at the 
same time. It was located in a high school in a huge gym. 

There were about 150 girls i was competing against. All of us had to perform 
four apparatuses; rope, floor, ball, and clubs. I was first to go for rope. I did a 
really good routine and I was proud of myself. After a long day of competing, it 
was time for the awards. I got first place on floor, second on rope, seventh on ball, 
and fifth on clubs. I was very happy about my places because I was against a lot of 
girls. After this, I finally just had time to enjoy myself. 

The next day, we went to explore the amazing sights of Washington DC. 
We went to the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and many more. It was so 
cold! i looked like a big, fat marshmallow. I had on so many layers. We took many 
pictures and just had a great time. I will never forget coming here. 

Summer Camp 

Every summer I barely have time to do anything! I spend 7 hours of each 
day for 7 weeks in summer camp. 

I would have to drive to Canarsie, Brooklyn everyday. Even though, it would 
take me an hour to get there. The car ride was long and boring, but my dad would 
always find a way to entertain me. 

It started everyday at 9 and ended at 4. I had to go for rhythmic 
gymnastics. This was not like any summer camp, we had to practice and train. It 
was more like torture camp. 

This was my hardest and most frustrating summer camp. I had times where 


I didnt even want to do the sport. I would just want to give up and be normal. I 
couldnt take all the pain and determination its put me through. It was really 
complicated, but then i looked back. I looked back on everything i have done and 
accomplished. Where it has put me in life. Then i realized why I'm doing it; I love 
it. Its my life. Its what keeps me going. I would be nothing without it. 

We would start the day off doing conditioning and warming up. If we didnt 
do something right, we would all get yelled at and have to start over. This was very 
hard and tiring, but I knew doing it would help me in so many ways. Next, we did 
splits. This was the ,most painful for everyone. We would put each leg on a chair so 
we had an over split. We had to hold each split for seven minutes with our hands 
up. you cant be a rhythmic gymnast without flexibility. 

After being tortured with that, we still had a long day in front of us. Next, we 
ran a mile. We ran around the whole park 4 times. If we stopped we would get 
yelled at. This was really tiring, and the humid weather just made it worse. 

After all of this torture it was finally lunch time! We had to bring our own 
food for safety reasons. I ate fruits, salad, and sandwiches most of the time. We 
arent allowed to eat any junk food or sweets. They want us to stay thin and in 
shape. They called me fat many of times. If they saw you with anything not healthy 
they would take it away, even if you just bought it. 

After the short lunch break, it was back to practicing. We did splits again, 
and then started apparatus. We were assigned a different apparatus everyday. We 
all have one minute and thirty second routines. We do it with a non words music 
that our coach picks out. One day at practice, i hit my eye with the club. I got a 
black eye after, but i wasn't allowed to stop during my routine. Even though i was 
crying, I put my last bit of energy to finish the routine. 

Once the clock turned to four-o-clock we all got happy. This might have been 
the hardest thing Ive done, but i know it helped me. 

Katy Perry Concert 

A few weeks ago i went to my first concert to see Katy Perry! My dad 
surprised me and picked me up from practice early. It was in New York at the 
famous, Madison Square Garden. So many famous legends and people played there 
and i was so excited! I made sure to tell all of my friends! We went late on a Friday 
night. 

When we got there it was packed! We sat all the way up in the back, but 
moved down a section when the concert started. Everyone was cheering her name 
before she came out! I was so excited! all of my thoughts were juggling inside of 
me. The moment she came out was amazing. 

All of her songs came together somehow. She made a story so they would 


flow into each other smoothly. I loved all of her songs! For one of her songs, she 
was raised up and hovered all around the auditorium so everyone got to see her. I 
took so many pictures and videos! That was a great night that I will never forget. 

Halloween 

This year was my first Halloween in Jersey! I went with all of my friends and 
had so much fun. Jade and i both went as m&m workers. We wore high black 
socks, white shoes, shorts, suspenders, m&m shirts, and nerd glasses. We looked 
really good! 

We trick-or-treated all around Edison. We went in a big group of people. 
Most houses were so scary, but others werent as much. For one of the houses, 
there were people outside scaring us! Jade was so scared that she couldn't even 
walk by it or get near it. I got my whole pillow case full of candy! My brother 
couldn't trick or treat because he had football practice. 

We went to so many houses and had so much fun! It was really cold and 
there was still snow everywhere, but that's okay because it didn't really affect me. 
I had a lot of fun and hopefully I will next year too. 

Thanksgiving 

This year i had a great Thanksgiving! My cousins from California came and 
we all went to my uncles. I met a lot of cousins that 
I didn't even know! It was really cool and exciting. We did a lot of fun activities and 
games. 

One of the most important people I met was my cousins form Sweden. They 
came for a week to visit. They are my first cousins! The girl was Felicia, and the 
boy was Lucas. They both had very big eyes, flat faces, and accents. They taught 
us how to say some words and we taught them some as well. 

When the day was over, we all sleep over and had a huge breakfast in the 
morning! There was so many varieties of food to choose from. After breakfast, 
everyone left. My cousins from California, Sabrina and Shane, came back to my 
house with me. We went to the movies, the mall, then dinner. They slept over so 
we could all go to new york together the next day. 

New York is such a crowded city! We all had to stay really close or we would 
get lost! We went to all of the famous places and shopped. It was really cold, but 
I came prepared. I wore jeans, uggs, a long sleeve shirt, a cozy sweater, and a 
winter hat. Even if I looked like a big meatball, I was warm. 


On the way home, we stopped to eat. We went to olive garden for some 
yummy Italian food. We ordered so much and surprisingly ate every bit of it! After 
stuffing ourselves like turkey, we headed home and my cousins left. I'm gonna miss 
them, but i had a really fun time! 

The Future 

In the future, I want to live in a big house that has a game room, movie 
theater, pool, five bedrooms, and a big yard. This house will be near the beach and 
mall. The weather will always be perfect and sunny. 

After i win the Olympics for rhythmic gymnastics, I am going to open up my 
own gym and become a coach. My gym will be big enough to fit thousands of 
people. I will teach the kids to work hard, just like my coach taught me. 

I will enjoy going to the beach and shopping. Those are the two places i love 
going to, besides visiting places. They are the kind of places that its impossible not 
to have fun. 

I will be a lot like my mom. I will keep the house tidy and clean. I will also 
cook dinner just like my mom does every night. I will have a great husband and 
two kids. We will be a loving family and spend a lot of quality time together. My 
kids are going to be both girls. I will teach them rhythmic gymnastics and hopefully 
they love it as much as i do. I will teach my husband to help around the house like 
my dad does. We will be good parents and have a great family. 

Life Messages 
. Treat people the way you want to be treated. 
. Keep trying, don't give up. 
. Hard work pays off. 
. Never lie. 
. Be strong. 


I always like to be treated with respect. I don't like it when people are mean 
and just plain out rude. Some people are like that because of popularity, their 
reputation, or just to get their feelings out. You never know what they have been 
through. I always try to be kind to people cause it makes me feel good. I also never 
lie. Lying once just leads to many more. Even if you tell the truth, you wont get in 
much trouble. 

I always try my best not to give up. Even though i have been through so 
much, i still keep trying. Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport were you really need to 
work hard. If you work hard, you will be able to do anything you want. I want to 
make it to the Olympics for rhythmic gymnastics, and i know if i keep working hard 
I will soon be good enough to. 

Be strong. Fight for what you want in life. Don't give up and be strong! Be 
confident and hold your pride. 


